Richard Tafoya
Sep 8th, 2008, 11:29 PM
Headed home from the office, I was listening to a replay of today's "Talk of the Nation" on NPR, and they had McCain campaign staffer Randy Schuneman on to talk about Palin.
After niceties and some general campaign talk, the exchange went something like this:
Neil Conan: Certainly one of the more active discussions this week is the foreign policy experience of Sarah Palin. Can you speak to some of her credentials in this area?
Schuneman: She's got extensive international relations experience having been governor of a state that borders TWO countries. She's visited the troops abroad, she's hosted international delegations, she has xx military bases in a xx mile radius of her office.
Ted Koppel: I live in Maryland. That doesn't make me an expert on Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Schuneman: You clearly underestimate the culture of a state, the largest state in the country I might add, which is cut off from the mainland and for which international relations and foreign policy with Russia is a daily exercise.
Ted Koppel: So let me get this straight. When we do eventually get the opportunity to speak with Ms. Palin, she will be able to provide significant detail into the foreign policy dynamics between Russia and the U.S. and lay out a viable strategy for ongoing relations?
Schuneman: Um... what you'll get is the experience of the governor of the largest state in the country and insight into the challenges facing us this election and a plan to take on those challenges.
This is brilliant. Let her have the mantle of foreign policy guru. Play it up. By the time she opens her mouth on the subject, let's expect something stunning, game-changing.
Heck, Obama should help run those ads. "On October 2nd, a new voice in foriegn policy will emerge. Years of face-to-face knowledge with the Russians and Canadians. A plan for the hemisphere. Watch Sarah Palin."
After niceties and some general campaign talk, the exchange went something like this:
Neil Conan: Certainly one of the more active discussions this week is the foreign policy experience of Sarah Palin. Can you speak to some of her credentials in this area?
Schuneman: She's got extensive international relations experience having been governor of a state that borders TWO countries. She's visited the troops abroad, she's hosted international delegations, she has xx military bases in a xx mile radius of her office.
Ted Koppel: I live in Maryland. That doesn't make me an expert on Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Schuneman: You clearly underestimate the culture of a state, the largest state in the country I might add, which is cut off from the mainland and for which international relations and foreign policy with Russia is a daily exercise.
Ted Koppel: So let me get this straight. When we do eventually get the opportunity to speak with Ms. Palin, she will be able to provide significant detail into the foreign policy dynamics between Russia and the U.S. and lay out a viable strategy for ongoing relations?
Schuneman: Um... what you'll get is the experience of the governor of the largest state in the country and insight into the challenges facing us this election and a plan to take on those challenges.
This is brilliant. Let her have the mantle of foreign policy guru. Play it up. By the time she opens her mouth on the subject, let's expect something stunning, game-changing.
Heck, Obama should help run those ads. "On October 2nd, a new voice in foriegn policy will emerge. Years of face-to-face knowledge with the Russians and Canadians. A plan for the hemisphere. Watch Sarah Palin."